ON THE ROAD: Merging onto toll road is still difficult

The 241 North and South toll roads reach the end of their extent at Oso Parkway. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Q.I was hoping you could let me know why there is still an issue with the eastbound 91 on-ramp at Weir Canyon Road merging onto the southbound toll road. There have been many recent improvements east of Weir and there is plenty of room, but there is still not a dedicated lane on the right side which takes you to the toll road until you are required to merge to the left twice. Most of the traffic stays on the eastbound 91, which makes it very frustrating and defeats the purpose of quickly getting to the toll road toward south Orange County. What can be done?

– Chris Fry, Yorba Linda

A.Part of the answer, Chris, is in your question.

Lane assignments are based on traffic demand, so the eastbound 91 freeway gets priority over the 241 Toll Road, said Caltrans spokeswoman Yvonne Washington. However, the current layout of this interchange provides a dedicated auxiliary lane between Weir Canyon and the 241, along with an optional lane to exit the toll road.

“It is a challenge to be able to build your way out of congestion,” Washington said. “We ask for your continued patience while making your transition from the eastbound 91 freeway to the 241 Toll Lane.”

On the Road update

Back in October, Collie Derham of Orange asked me whether Caltrans planned to fix the traffic signal at the northbound 55 freeway exit at Lincoln Avenue/ Nohl Ranch Road in Orange, where cars regularly back up into the intersection. At the time, Caltrans officials simply said they would “monitor the situation.”

After some investigating, Collie, it turns out your question has led to a pair of projects that will hopefully alleviate the problem.

First, Caltrans is partnering with the city of Orange to add a new interchange at the at the Meats Avenue bridge, which will offer motorists an earlier option to exit the freeway prior to reaching Lincoln/Nohl Ranch, Washington said. The bad news is that the project is currently being designed and construction isn’t expected to begin for another four to five years.

The second project calls for making some lane modifications to the intersection, including a possible roundabout and a “park and ride” lot, Washington said. The idea is still being analyzed, but will likely come to fruition in about two years.

On the Road takes transportation questions from readers of our North Orange County weekly newspapers. You can email questions to ontheroad@ocregister.com. Only the questions placed into the column are answered.

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